Jasper Promise
by HesperideIsis
Summary: Uzumaki Maika's life has been a series of tragedies, one after another, since she first woke up to find her home destroyed and her life shattered. Uchiha Itachi has always been her anchor, but in the wake of Akatsuki, will he be the one that finally buries her in the unrelenting darkness? ItachiXOC
1. Awakening

**Me: I do not own Naruto~**

**Naruto: Hell yeah!**

**Me: -_-lll What are you doing here?**

**So...also part of my gemstones series! Enjoy! Review! And check out my blog! It's on my website, XD.**

* * *

><p><em>She was a surprise.<em>

**I.**

"Are you sure about this, Kushina-chan?" Minato asked worriedly.

"Stop asking me that, Minato-kun! I said I'm sure and I am!" His wife snapped back.

He sighed. "If you say so...it's been years since you've seen Uzushiogakure."

Kushina softened. "Yeah...I know. But I have to go. I have to see what it's become, -ttebane."

It had been her home, after all...a long, long time ago.

**II.**

"It's a mess..." The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero breathed in sorrow as she looked over the wreckage of her former village.

Minato put an arm around her in comfort.

Kushina accepted the contact, leaning back against her husband. He had always been her rock, her shelter in the storm, and she needed him now, more than ever.

Her eyes roamed over the destroyed place, taking in the fallen buildings and rock rubble and metal shards and a flicker of chakra over there-

"Minato-kun!" She cried, pulling herself out of his embrace. Hope flared, sharp and incandescent and all too easily snuffed out. Could it be a survivor?

Immediately, the most popular candidate for the Fourth Hokage had his special kunai out, his sharp cerulean eyes scanning over the area. "What is it?"

The Third Shinobi War had _just_ ended and paranoia and fear still ran strong. Minato had no intention of letting Kushina get hurt, not now, not ever.

"It's - I think-" Cutting herself off, Kushina leapt forward, clearing most of the ruins in a single bound.

Cursing, Minato hurriedly followed, keeping an eye out for enemy ninja. What the hell was going on here?

Kushina landed easily in front of the remains of a ruined building and quickly kneeled, placing her hands on the ground.

There. _Right t__here. _A steadily burning chakra below the debris. Hope flared, sharp and incandescent. What if...

"Kushina-chan!" Minata said firmly. "What is it?"

Stunned, the red-haired kunoichi looked up into his blue eyes. "There's something underneath here. Something with chakra." She whispered.

Minato's eyes widened. "Move back."

Face pale and eyes wide, Kushina got to her feet and obeyed. "Go."

Minato nodded grimly and went through several handseals. "Earth Release: Upheaval."

Slowly, painstakingly, the Yellow Flash peeled back the layers of the rubble and earth until Kushina abruptly held out a hand. She didn't seem to notice that her hand was trembling visibly.

"Once more." She said, her voice strained with apprehension and nervousness. "Carefully."

Minato ran through the jutsu one more time and the final layer of dirt peeled away to reveal a large cavern underneath.

Kushina inhaled sharply. It was one thing to suspect, but to actually see with her own eyes..."I need to go down there."

Minato looked at her. "You aren't going to be going alone."

The Uzumaki Heiress managed a small smile. "Who said I was going alone, -ttebane?"

Minato smiled reassuringly and jumped in before his wife could insist on going first. He knew she would abject, but it was _his _job to protect _her._

"Minato! You jerk!"

**III.**

"This is..." Kushina breathed, glancing around at the large tunnel lit up by chakra.

"Amazing." Minato finished.

Intricate, complicated seals that must have taken months to complete covered the inside of the tunnel, dark and tasting of pure power. Kushina hadn't seen such a work of fuinjutsu since her childhood years...and those had been created on a much smaller scale. Even for a village known for its fuinjutsu, this was unbelievable. She couldn't imagine the time that must have went into this.

Minato walked over to inspect one of the seals. "I don't think these are dangerous. They're made for stability and preservation." He had a finger down the curving lines, quietly thirsty for the chance to explore and analyze the immaculate work.

Kushina glanced down at her feet. On the 'floor' were seals too. "Where do you think they lead?" She asked, heart thudding against her chest. Maybe...just maybe...

Minato grinned at her. "Let's find out."

They had no idea what lay in wait for them in the tunnel...nor where it would take them.

Kushina grinned back. "What are we waiting for?" She was a jounin kunoichi, the Red Hot Habanero, and she backed down for nothing and nobody.

**IV.**

They followed the seals for a long time. The tunnel went up and down and curved and twisted without pattern or reason.

"Kushina-chan..." Minato said uncertainly. "Are you sure we should keep going?" He didn't doubt her, but this could potentially be very dangerous.

"It's just ahead." She kept her eyes focused upfront. "I can feel the chakra..."

Minato frowned thoughtfully. He knew his wife was a sensor-type and was much more sensitive to chakra than he was.

"Describe it to me." He encouraged.

Kushina tilted her head to the side a bit, clearly focusing. "It's...small. Like it's not full grown. But it's strong, -ttebane." She hesitated. "It's also strangely still."

Minato blinked. "Still?" Her tone alerted him to her unease, but anyone else would have thought her completely unconcerned. He knew different, had known her for years.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Chakra shifts and changes with its user, but this one...isn't moving at all." Worry flickered in her violet eyes.

Before he could respond, the tunnel took a sharp turn and they found themselves in front of a door covered in seals.

They exchanged looks and Minato put his hand to the doorknob. "Ready?" The metal was cold against his palm, the cold of years of neglect.

He held a kunai in his other hand. He didn't care who it was, but he would allow no one to harm the love of his life.

Kushina bit her lip and readied her chakra. There was no telling what was on the other side. "Ready."

Minato twisted the doorknob, knocking the door open with his shoulder.

When nothing jumped at them, Kushina performed a quick fire jutsu and lit up the dark space.

She reeled back in shock and Minato's eyes widened. They had expected many things, most of which were probably ridiculous, but they had never considered _this_.

The chamber was smoothly carved, as if someone had spent a lot of time making sure it would never cave in. Every solid inch of it was covered in seals. There was literally no space left for anything else.

On the floor, impossibly complicated seals centered on a single, little girl.

She looked no older than 4 years old. Burgundy red hair - darker than Kushina's by far - splayed around her like a protective halo. She wore a simple white dress and white slippers. In the dim light, her skin glowed healthily as if she had been well taken care of since the years after Uzushiogakure fell.

Her features were peaceful and her eyes were closed.

Kushina staggered and would have fell if Minato hadn't caught her.

"...Kushina-chan?" He asked tentatively.

"I know her." The redhead gasped into the quiet. "_I know her!"_

"Shh. Calm down." Minato murmured in her ear. "Who is she?"

"Uzumaki Maika. The little girl of my mother's best friend." Kushina stared blankly at the toddler. "I thought she was dead."

_Like the rest of them._

Watching the seals around little Maika burn with a steady flow of chakra, Minato slowly shook his head. "If nothing else...she isn't dead."

**V.**

"Suspension seals." Minato told his sensei a whole week later. "The Uzumakis put her in a large, self-sustaining suspension seal in an underground chamber before Uzushiogakure fell."

Jiraiya whistled. "That was a decade and a half ago."

"Yeah." The blond wearily rubbed his brow. "And they've kept her alive all this time." A miracle, a feat previously thought impossible. 'Well,' He thought sardonically to himself, 'at least now we know that those people were wrong.'

The Toad Sannin frowned. "Will she wake up?"

Minato nodded slowly. "The medics predict she'll wake up in a few days."

Jiraiya was silent for a moment. "How is Kushina taking this?"

"To be honest? I don't know." Minato said. "And I think...she doesn't either."

**VI.**

Kushina stared intently on the fragile little girl lying on the hospital bed as if her will alone would wake her up. Her body was tense, her breathing calm only through her years of training. It had been such a long time...since she had met another Uzumaki. She didn't know what to expect, but what she did know was that no one would ever harm this little girl if she had a say.

Minato stood a little behind her and watched as the nurses took her off the sedative. He said nothing and she was grateful. This was something she had to deal with on her own.

They waited, the air growing tense with anticipation and anxiety as the minutes passed. The clock went tick-tock, tick-tock behind Kushina and she found the noise aggravating. Why was it taking so damn long?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Uzumaki Maika stirred for the first time in more than a decade.

Her eyes fluttered open, revealing confused orbs of palest pink.

They focused slowly on the ceiling and then began to coast erratically across the room.

"...Maika-chan?" Kushina called softly.

Maika sluggishly focused on her. Blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice-

"Kushina-chan?" She asked uncertainly, her young voice scratchy from disuse.

Kushina beamed, tears coming to her eyes. Unable to help herself, she threw herself on the toddler, hugging her closely.

The nurse tutted in disapproval, but smiled despite herself.

Obviously completely bewildered, Maika looked over at Minato in confusion.

He just grinned happily at her.

**VII.**

"Minato-kun!" Kushina said, slamming open the door.

The jounin looked up from his paperwork, blinking at his wife.

"Kushina-chan. Maika-chan." Minato smiled warmly at the little girl hiding behind his wife's legs.

Maika smiled, only an upward twitch of her lips really. It had only been a month since she had woken up, but she seemed to like Minato at least.

It had been a slow-going process with the young Uzumaki. She was slow to trust and slower still to recover from her ordeal. The years that had passed by without her didn't help matters.

"Minato-kun!" Kushina called again, red hair flying everywhere.

The Yellow Flash smiled indulgently at his wife. "What is it?"

"I want to adopt Maika-chan, -ttebane!" She declared loudly.

The girl in question winced at the noise, but didn't reject her statement.

Minato did his best to look surprised. "As a sister, you mean?"

"Of course! As my younger sister!" Kushina paused suspiciously. "Wait. Why do you know?"

He grinned at her and held up a paper. "Because I already legalized it."

Kushina's eyes widened and she hurriedly grabbed the paper.

Looking it over, she realized that is was the final copy for the adoption process.

"But - How -" She stuttered, mouth wide open.

The adoption process needed her signature and Maika's and Kushina was fairly certain she had not sighed anything recently. Which...also explained why her desk was piled up with stacks of paper. She had no intention of ever going near it.

"I talked to the Hokage and he got it done for me." Minato lounged against his chair, smirking triumphantly.

A second of silence passed. Two.

"Minato-kun!" Kushina flung herself at her husband. "You're the best, -ttebane!"

He laughed and kissed her heatedly on the mouth. Ah, he loved Kushina, passion and temper and all.

The redhead moaned and slid her tongue against his. Heat flared between them...

And a delicate cough bought them back to reality and they broke away, flushing.

Maika raised an eyebrow at them in disapproval.

"Ah." Minato sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that."

"You're going to have to get used to it, Maika-chan." Kushina smiled impishly. "Since you're going to be living with us now as my little sister."

It was amazing what the exasperated sigh of a four year old could convey.

The couple laughed smugly.

_He was a genius_

**I.**

"Push, Mikoto-sama! Push!" The mid-wife urged.

The Uchiha Matriarch gritted her teeth and bore down with all of her strength, panting and gasping.

A few minutes later, a newborn's cries filled the air.

"Congratulations, Fugaku-sama." The mid-wife handed a small, tiny life to the Uchiha Head. "It's a boy."

The hardened shinobi looked down at his child, all silky black hair and round eyes, and felt his heart melt but slightly.

He walked over to his exhausted wife and presented her son to her. She smiled wanly, gently taking the boy from him. Mikoto cuddled him close to her breast, eyes tender with maternal love.

"What shall we call him?" She asked, pressing a sweet kiss to the babe's forehead.

Fugaku gave a rare smile to his wife and child, reaching out to smooth a hand over the boy's soft black hair.

"Itachi." He said. "Uchiha Itachi."

Mikoto nuzzled her son happily, but wearily. "May you grow up to be an honorable man, Itachi."

"And may you be a great shinobi and a magnificent clan heir." Fugaku added.

They had no idea how right they would be.

**II.**

As a child, Itachi was very quiet.

Quiet but inquisitive.

"Okaa-san." Itachi called, his soft voice insistent.

Calmly setting down the shirt she had been mending, the young mother rose from her seat and crossed the room where her son had been fiddling with a puzzle box.

"Yes, Itachi?" She knelt next to the boy with such wide, innocent coal black eyes.

He held out the puzzle box, his growing black hair getting into his eyes to his silent annoyance. "I'm finished."

Blinking, she took the puzzle from him and went over it. It had been perfectly solved.

Turning back to her patiently waiting son, she awarded him with a pleased smile. "Well done, Itachi."

"Thank you, Okaa-san." Her son was ever so polite and sometimes, she worried that he would never behave as a child should. "What now?"

Mikoto considered thoughtfully. Her son was certainly smart enough and in the war the Village was in…yes, best to start early. They were talking about destroying the Kannabi Bridge, but that would take time yet.

"Today," She told her son of 18 months, "We are going to be setting traps."

Itachi's eyes sparkled with interest.

**III.**

"Otou-san." Itachi bowed respectfully to his father, face perfectly serious despite the scene in front of him.

Fugaku, his face a confusing mix of pride and embarrassment, attempted to frown with dignity at his three year old son. Considering he was hanging from the ceiling, it wasn't very persuasive.

"Let him down, Itachi-kun." Mikoto said from the doorway, covering her smile with her hand. It may have taken him a year and a half, but the little boy had managed to successfully catch his father in a simple trap. The impressive part was that he wasn't even a genin, while his father was a seasoned jounin.

"Of course, Okaa-san." He replied, face still impossibly stoic.

As soon as his father was out of sight and sound, he grinned widely in triumph and Mikoto broke down laughing hysterically.

_He was an anomaly._

**I.**

Shisui was a strange Uchiha.

He was always smiling and laughing despite the firm reminders that he was an Uchiha and should be a dutiful, strong, _controlled_ shinobi for the clan.

Shisui paid no attention to that and to the elders horror, his father, Kagami, didn't particularly care either.

The boy went around grinning and teasing, acting like the polar opposite of what an Uchiha should be and generally annoyed everyone around.

If he noticed the uneasy whispers behind his back about how similar he was to Uchiha Obito, and everyone knew how that had turned out, he never showed it.

**II.**

"Ohayo, Ita-kun!" Shisui grinned at his friend, casually swinging an arm around a thin shoulder.

Itachi flicked a glance at him beneath dark eyelashes. "Shisui-san." He greeted blandly, easily shrugging off the offending arm.

"How ya doing, little guy?" Shisui laughed and ruffled his long hair, not put off in the least by the younger boy's lack of friendliness. He was used to it by now; the whole Uchiha clan was like that, to an extent.

Itachi sighed. "Don't do that."

Shisui smirked and did it again, just to spite the boy. Itachi's reactions were always so amusing.

**III.**

"Class, we are welcoming a new student today." The academy teacher said, shushing the rowdy kids.

A boy with dark hair, dark eyes, and a fan on the back of his shirt sauntered into the room confidently, radiating superiority and dominance.

Instantly 90% of the class knew who he was even before he opened his mouth and said, "My name is Uchiha Shisui. It is a pleasure to meet everyone." He bowed, every inch a member of a prestigious, powerful clan.

Girls swooned and boys scowled.

The teacher directed Shisui to his seat and sat down on his own chair. A loud farting sound echoed through the suddenly silent room. The teacher froze and started to blush.

The silence was broken by composed, polite Shisui who broke out laughing, pointing at the teacher, and slapping his hands against his thighs. "Hahahahaha! He fell for it! He fell for it!" He rolled off his seat in his merriment.

The class sweatdropped. 'Is he really an Uchiha…?!"

The teacher went purple, an impressive feat really. "Uchiha Shisui! Detention!"

* * *

><p><em>Next time:<em>

_"Itachi, this is Maika-chan. She's Kushina-chan's little sister. Maika-chan, this is Itachi. He is my son."_

_The two children stared at each other in silence._

* * *

><p><strong>Review! And thnxs to my beta, ChaosEmperorNex!<strong>

**Question: What does jasper mean?**


	2. Meeting

**Me: I do not own Naruto!**

**Itachi: Of course you don't.**

**Me:...I didn't ask you!**

**Maika: *sigh* Please check out Author-chan's blog. It is posted on her profile.**

**Me: Enjoy~**

**To'M'LKuran: Thank you, thank you, thank you for being the first to review!**

**VampireSiren: Why, thank you. :D**

* * *

><p><em>Like draws like.<em>

**I.**

"Mikoto-chan!" Kushina called, a wide smile spreading across her face. She rushed forward, enveloping her long-time best friend in a hug.

Mikoto beamed, hugging back. "Kushina-chan!"

Kushina pulled back first, frowning playfully at the dark-haired kunoichi. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you for weeks, -ttebane!"

Mikoto laughed kindly. "Ah. I've been busy with clan politics. Sorry."

Kushina sighed dramatically, but 'forgave' her best friend. Turning, she spotted the young girl standing quietly a space behind her and gestured for her to come forward.

The Red-Hot Habanero placed a hand on her lower back and turned back to Mikoto with a proud smile. "This is Uzumaki Maika, -ttebane! She's my new sister!"

Mikoto quickly took in the young child that was younger than even her own son.

Maika was a lovely young girl, would no doubt become as beautiful as Kushina given time and age. Her hair was much, much darker than her older sister's, but just as startling…just as distinctive. Her eyes were a mesmerizing deep magenta in the shadows of the trees, but Mikoto imagined that in the sunlight, they would be a stunning shade of light rose pink.

Yes, Maika would most certainly grow up to be a gorgeous girl. But something made the Uchiha Matriarch hesitate and take a second glance. There was a weight to the child's gaze, a melancholy in her demeanor that was unusual…and familiar.

With an inward start, the sharingan user realized this child reminded her of Itachi, her baby boy that had seen war at only age four.

She knelt down gracefully in front of Maika, smiling warmly. "Hello, Maika-chan. My name is Uchiha Mikoto."

Maika bowed her head respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mikoto-san."

"Mikoto-chan has a little boy, Maika-chan." Kushina told her little sister with a hopeful grin. "He's about your age. Why don't you two go play while me and Mikoto-chan talk?"

Maika frowned a bit, eyes darkening.

The Red-Hot Habanero gave Mikoto a pleading look.

Ignoring her, Mikoto looked serenely into Maika's eyes. "His name is Itachi, Maika-chan. Would you like to meet him?"

Maika hesitated, glancing up at Kushina's puppy dog eyes. It was obvious that she had no true desire to meet the boy, but it was equally as obvious she didn't want to disappoint her sister. Finally, she gave in with a soft sigh. "Alright."

Mikoto smiled and gently took Maika's hand. Leading her into the large house, she called out, "Itachi!"

A moment later, in a platter of soft footsteps that Mikoto knew full well her son could disguise with scary skill, Itachi appeared through a doorway, face curious. His eyes immediately latched on to the stranger, but he addressed his mother.

"Okaa-san?" He asked.

Mikoto beckoned Itachi forward and, with a small frown, he walked up to face them both.

"Itachi, this is Maika-chan. She's Kushina-chan's little sister. Maika-chan, this is Itachi. He is my son."

The two children stared at each other in silence.

Mikoto and, a recently arrived, Kushina watched them nervously. Both of them were traumatized, Maika from the destruction of her village and Itachi from the darkness of war, stubborn, and in their own way, temperamental.

The standoff went on for several quiet, tension-filled moments, neither willing to back down.

Slowly, something changed. A subtle change, minute and minor.

Itachi's eyes softened ever so slightly and Maika's distant mask faltered a bit.

He held out a hand, the two women held their breaths, and after a pause, Maika took it with a cautious smile.

"I will show Maika-san around the compound, Okaa-san." Itachi informed Mikoto calmly and without waiting for permission, led the younger girl out of the room.

Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief and Kushina slumped against the wall.

"That went well." She ran a sweaty hand through her bright red hair.

"Quite." Mikoto swept toward the kitchen, gesturing for Kushina to take a seat. "Why did you want those to meet so badly?"

Sighing, Kushina crumpled in a chair, grabbing a sugar cookie slyly. "Maika-chan…she has difficulty talking to her peers."

"Oh?" Pouring a cup of the finished tea in an elegant cup, the dark-haired woman offered it to her friend who gratefully took it, taking a steaming hot sip without wincing.

Kushina grimaced. "She doesn't talk about it, but we – me and Minato – think that she saw practically the whole attack on Uzushiogakure."

Mikoto gasped, an elegant hand flying up to cover her mouth. "Oh, dear. The entire thing?"

The redhead nodded grimly. "We've tried to talk to her about it, but she completely shuts down at the slightest mention of it. And she's only 4 years old, -ttebane…."

"Ah." Her refined features softened. This was something she was all too familiar with. "And now she cannot connect with others of her age."

"It's why I hoped she would click with Itachi-kun." Kushina downed the tea in a shot, ignoring Mikoto's reprimanding look. "They're both mature beyond their years, -ttebane."

"I see." Mikoto murmured and that was that.

Neither of them were aware of the consequences that small sprout of friendship would inflict on the future.

**II.**

Five minutes into the 'tour', Maika stopped dead.

Almost immediately, the boy called Itachi stopped as well and looked at her with questioning eyes. Maika stared back, frustrated and confused. Why?

He broke the silence first. "Is there something wrong?"

She frowned at him. Something wrong? Of course, there was something wrong! She hadn't been able to _stand_ all the other children Kushi- Nee-chan had introduced her to, so why...why did her barriers fall when she was with this boy?

"Why?" She asked.

He blinked at her. His lashes were really long, she noted. "Why what?"

That was a good question. Maika furrowed her brow. Why what, indeed. Why was he so kind to her? Most other kids bullied her when Kush- Nee-chan wasn't around. Why was he so quiet? Why was he so polite?! Why was he so, so -

"Why are you different?" She asked finally.

Itachi looked at her for a long time. His eyes were really dark and Maika resisted the urge to fidget. If he thought he could intimidate her, he had another thing coming! She had faced far worse things than a boy barely older than her with a dark gaze.

When he did talk, what came out of his mouth was nothing she ever expected.

"You know the Third Shinobi War just ended, right?" He walked on over to a sofa and gestured for her to join him.

She frowned, but sat down on the sofa across his. "Of course. A few months ago, yes?"

"Yes." He paused and stared at her. Waiting, she realized.

Waiting for what? What did the Third Shinobi War have to do with why Itachi..was...different...?

_Oh._

"You saw it." Maika whispered into the silence, images of crumbling buildings and overwhelmingly large amounts blood flashing in her mind. She had seen her home end in screams and fire and she knew she would never be able to forget it. What would it be like to see an entire war?

"It was awful." Itachi said to her, looking out the window with a distant look in his eyes. "The blood...the death...the senseless violence."

"How old?"

He gave her an inscrutable look. "Four."

Oh. Just last year then; Kushina had informed her that he was only one year older than her.

And she understood. That was why he was different, why she could stand his presence. He was like her...in a way that the other children weren't.

"I've seen death too." Maika ran a hand through her hair, not sure what to do with the secret that he had given her. It didn't feel fair for her to know more about him than he did of her. She didn't understand it, but she didn't fight the impulse.

"I know." Itachi smiled at her, a small, sad smile, but a smile nonetheless.

She gazed at him, surprised. He knew? How...?

"I know." He repeated, looking back at her steadily. "You're too much like me."

Maika didn't know what to say to that. That was a bad thing, she knew. In her eyes and his.

The silence stretched between them. He watched her and she watched him. It was their introduction all over again.

She refused to give. Maika was in no state to trust, to offer. She had seen her home crumble, her friends die screaming in pain, her family give their last breaths so she could live. The attack on Uzushiogakure may have happened years ago, but to her? It was as if it had happened mere days ago. Not long enough for the pain to ease. Not nearly long enough

He was guarded, Itachi knew. But not nearly as guarded as Maika. Itachi was a smart boy and he had always sneaked around, soaking up information. He had heard his mother talk to his father about the 'Survivor' of Uzushiogakure, could put the pieces together well enough. Maika was...broken, in a way that he didn't know would ever heal.

And that was why, it was Itachi who held out his hand once again. She stared at it quietly, conflict churning in her eyes. Should she take it? Should she not?

He didn't back down. He could see himself liking Maika; she would be a good friend. Already, she had shown an impressive intelligence and a maturity far beyond her years.

Doubtless, with her association with the some of the strongest people in the village, she would grow up to be a frightening force even if she didn't have any natural talent herself - something he very much doubted. All he had to do was gain her friendship and loyalty...and Itachi knew that once he did, that allegiance would not waver.

Uzumaki Maika's devotion would never be easily earned, but her loyalty would be violent, unbreakable...if you had it.

"Friends?" Itachi asked softly.

Maika stared at the strange boy that was offering friendship to her. Was it worth it? To open her already battered, injured heart to more abuse? She knew who Itachi was: the Heir to the Uchiha Clan, one of the most powerful clans in the Hidden Villages. She had heard rumors of his genius, of the prestige he would one day bring to the clan. Of how powerful and smart he was already.

She could feel with her own senses the strength of his chakra, the absolute precision and control. His chakra was...hot and...cold. Hot and cold at the same time. Flame and water mixed. What would it be like to be friends with a boy with such raw conflicting natures? With heart and control blended?

Was he going to use her? Would he discard her the second she became useless? Could her heart stand another blow without breaking? Could Uchiha Itachi - heir, prodigy, talented, perfection - take her as she was? Shattered and mourning and exhausted with life at the age of four?

She looked into his eyes and _believed _for the first time since she had woken up in a stale hospital, surrounded by a distant cousin turned beautiful woman, a blonde man with an infectious smile, and a nurse that shed the tears that she hadn't been able to for years with such ease.

"Friends." Maika agreed, sliding her hand into his.

They smiled at each other, warm and soft and trusting.

And if it was just a tad innocent and shy, well. They were only children after all. Mature children, bloodstained children, traumatized children but children none the less.

**III.**

"What are you reading?" Maika asked two weeks later.

The two children were in the sizable Uchiha library, Kushina and Mikoto only a room away. Itachi had been studying a scroll when she had walked in and apart from a quick greeting, he hadn't paid any attention to the redheaded girl otherwise. Not in the least offended, she had pulled herself on to a near by table and had spent the past 15 minutes simply watching her new friend, legs swinging casually.

Both Kushina and Mikoto had been ecstatic - Mikoto had been much more subtle - when the two of them had revealed they were now friends. As a result, Kushina had been dragging Maika to the Uchiha Estate every two days, making up some excuse each time, and then pushed the two children into playing with each other. Mikoto had also decided that Itachi needed some time at the park...when Kushina and Maika happened to be there...at the same spot and the same time.

Maika and Itachi didn't really mind too much; they found each others company enjoyable. It was, however, mildly aggravating.

Itachi glanced up now, dark eyes disconcerting to anyone else. She simply looked back at him calmly. He smiled a bit at her. He liked that she wasn't intimidated by him, never really seemed to be scared of him. Most other kids became a mess if they were at the receiving end of a death glare. Maika just gave him one right back.

"The history of Kirigakure." He told her.

Her legs stopped their up and down motion and Maika blinked at him. He knew her well enough to interpret that as a surprise.

A moment later, she slid smoothly off the table, landing on her feet with ease. She crossed the room softly and gently heaved herself up to sit on his sofa's armrest, peering over his shoulder at the scroll. "The history of Kirigakure?"

"Hn. They have a very bloody history." He told her, running his fingers through her dark red hair absently.

"...do you do this a lot?" She questioned, not moving away from his touch. It felt good to have skin to skin contact...it reminded her that she existed, was _alive _and not in that cruel state of dream and reality that she had been for years.

"What? Read?" Itachi turned his head to quirk an amused eyebrow at her. "I thought everyone knew how to read, Maika-hime."

She made a half annoyed, half embarrassed sound and made a move to lightly swat the back of his head. A few days ago, he had decided to stop calling her the honorific '-san' and address her as the younger sister of Uzumaki Kushina and thus, a Princess of Whirlpool. Hence the '- hime'.

Maika had been horribly flustered when he had first called her that, turning nearly as red as her hair. It hadn't helped that both Mikoto and Kushina found the whole thing hilarious and adorable. Itachi had taken one look at her face and decided that her reaction was amusing enough that he would continue to call her by the honorific. She had not been happy... to say the least.

He dodged her hand easily, chuckling lowly. "Alright, alright." Itachi raised his hands at her glare, lips twitching upward. "Yes, I do spend a lot of time studying history. It's important."

She huffed, but calmed down, considering that little tidbit of information. Seeing her lost in thought, he turned back to the scroll, leaving her to think things out.

Ten minutes passed in silence. It was a comforting silence, both occupants at ease with the quiet.

It was broken by Maika. "Itachi-kun?"

He looked up at her, sensing a shift in his friend's emotional state. Itachi had always been a very perceptive individual and after spending hours upon hours with the rose-eyed girl, he had gotten to know her quite well. "Yes?"

She looked into his eyes, a slight frown on her lips, and a vulnerability in her eyes that had him instantly on edge. "Will you teach me?"

Itachi blinked, brain rapidly delving into the deceptively simple question.

First, was the obvious, 'teach what?' He ran through their previous conversation and quickly came to the conclusion she wanted him to teach her history. He knew full well that Maika could read perfectly fine.

Then, there was the, 'why?' He found that answer rather easily too. She had been placed in suspension for years. Of course she would want to know as much about the world as she could.

Finally,'why him?' Because he was her first friend, her only friend, the one she felt comfortable enough with the show even a fraction of vulnerability.

He felt a ridiculous amount of satisfaction upon that realization. All this went through his mind in the span of several seconds and Itachi looked closely at Maika, noting the wariness in the way her mouth was set and in the stiffness of her shoulders. If he said the wrong thing now, he would undo every drop of trust he had managed to earn.

"History?" He clarified.

She bit her lip, nodding hesitantly.

Itachi smiled at her warmly. "What do you want to start with?"

Maika breathed a sigh of relief, her body relaxing. Privately, he thought she was rather cute when she was nervous. Best not to tell her that though.

**IV.**

Four hours later, Mikoto silently opened the door and peaked her head in. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but smile at the scene that greeted her.

Itachi and Maika were both curled up on a one person sofa. Well, Itachi was sitting on the sofa, short legs still dangling, and Maika was curled up on top of him: head resting against his neck, hand on the opposite shoulder, and body snuggled up against his. Both of them were still awake despite the late hour and Itachi was slowly stroking the younger girl's long hair while murmuring in her ear.

Neither of them noticed Mikoto; she was a jounin for a reason.

Discreetly, the young mother sent a trickle of chakra to her ears to enhance her hearing.

"...was the Kannabi Bridge that turned the war in our favor." Itachi was saying to Maika.

"That was in Kusagakure, right?" Maika asked, voice soft as she was talking right into the young boy's ear.

"Yes. It was a vital passage to Iwagakure's line of supply..."

Still smiling, Mikoto cut off the flow of chakra and quietly left. No need to disrupt the children, especially when they were getting along so well. She made a note to talk about marriage arrangements with Kushina later. Her best friend would probably be thrilled.

* * *

><p><strong>Review! Ah and check out my blog.<strong>

**Question: How do you think Maika felt while she was under suspension?  
><strong>


	3. Live

**Me: I do not own Naruto!**

**Itachi: Who's he?**

**Me: Um...nevermind that. Merry Christmas!**

**VampireSiren: They're adorable, aren't they? :D**

**To'M'L Kuran: Too kawaii! Hmm, you might be on to something...**

* * *

><p><em>That which does not kill us, make us stronger.<em>

**I.**

Maika was a sensor. A very powerful one at that.

Kushina had told her that, one day, she would most likely be one of the most powerful sensor nins in the world.

She believed her sister. Kushina had never lied to her before.

Everyone's chakra was different...unique. She could feel them from lengthy distances and a long time ago, back in Uzushiogakure, she had been told that that was what made her a sensor nin. Maika hadn't really understood that as child, couldn't everyone do the same?

But they couldn't.

Ever since she was a child, Maika had known her precious people's 'feel' or chakra signature as she later learned it was called. Now was no different, except her range had grown ever larger. It was sometimes disconcerting how far she could stretch, but she did her best to not think of that.

She knew other sensors could 'feel' multiple layers to a ninja's chakra, but she was hardly that advanced. No, she only felt a single layer of chakra and that was almost enough to devastate her occasionally.

Her sister, Kushina, was easy. Nee-san's chakra reflected her nature: fiery, strong and passionate. Kushina's chakra frequently surrounded her like a shroud when she was upset or angry, but most of the time, it hung around her, warming the people around her like Kushina did with her generous personality. Maika liked it, even if it felt a little overwhelming at times.

Minato was easy too. His chakra was warm and sunny, but with a razor edging that could cut without warning. His was more contained than his wife, but always churning in his body. Moving around. Minato's chakra never stayed still; rather like wind, she supposed. It was also so very _powerful. _The most powerful chakra she had ever felt.

Maika found her brother-in-law's chakra reassuring and encouraging, but she couldn't help but be afraid of that sharp boundary that was a constant reminder of how very dangerous the Yellow Flash could be.

Itachi, the boy who was quickly becoming her best friend, had a strange sort of chakra. It simmered under his skin when he was angry, but never exploded, never ripped. No, his chakra was fluid, flexible...but still soothingly warm. Fire and water, mixed. His chakra didn't attack, didn't overwhelm, didn't hurt...didn't hurt her, at least.

Itachi's chakra kept close to him, she wasn't sure if he did it consciously or not, but it suited the boy's quiet, private nature. It was always controlled, always protective. Sometimes, when she cuddled close to him, his chakra would roll out and settle over her like a comforting, calm-inducing, warm blanket. Maika liked his chakra the most.

There were others too, of course, but she wasn't nearly as intimate with them as she was with Kushina and Minato and Itachi. Sometimes, she wondered what other sensors could tell from her own chakra.

When she was feeling particularly depressed, Maika wondered if they could feel the darkness and silence that haunted her in her dreams.

**II.**

"You're not living." Itachi told her three months after she had first met him.

Maika looked up at him, startled. "What?"

He frowned at her, eyes concerned. "You're not living, Maika-hime. You're only existing."

She furrowed her brow, her heart starting to speed up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Maika resisted the urge to run away. Itachi was a reliable friend, a safe pillar for her to go to. She trusted his advice, listened when he talked. He was unobtrusive, muted. There were no expectations or burdens between them and she cherished that. But now, it seemed like he was ready to change things.

"Yes, you do." His coal black eyes were relentless. Maika didn't even know she was backing up until he reached out to gently hold her still by the waist. "You won't play, won't read. You pick the blandest clothes to buy and you refuse to listen to music. You don't talk to anyone you don't have to and you spend your time in the darkest room you can find. You don't laugh or smile."

He had noticed it within the third week of meeting her, but always brushed it aside. At first, it had been because he honestly did not care. As time went on and he found himself caring more and more about the petite red-head, it began to bother him. He wanted her to smile and enjoy the life that had been given to her and he dearly wanted to know what she looked like when she was truly _happy_.

Maika wrenched away from him, eyes wide and frightened. What right did he have to say those things to her? He didn't understand, no one did! They all acted sympathetic, but they didn't understand.

"I do so laugh and smile." She claimed, voice rough and hands starting to shake despite herself. She stared at her shaking hands and felt anger start to overpower her fear. Why was it that he could make her react like this? She didn't want to tear open that barely scabbed over wound...why couldn't he just leave it alone?!

To her irritation, Itachi didn't even have the decency to look mad at her. Rather, his eyes were soft and sad. Irrationally, this only made her more angry.

"Answer me!" She demanded, moving forward and pushing him in the chest. He rocked back slightly, but this didn't appease her ire at all.

"You sometimes laugh and smile." Itachi said at last and she smiled in satisfaction. A second later, that smile dropped as he continued. "But it's...not genuine. You aren't truly happy."

It was the last sentence that did it for her. She let out a soft cry of distress and flung herself at him, hitting him over and over in the chest. Because of her position, her blows had little effect on him and really, she wasn't even trying very hard to hurt him. Itachi didn't bother trying to stop her; he simply let her do as she wished.

"Happy?! Happy?! Why am I supposed to be happy?!" She raged between blows. "Everyone I knew and loved is dead! Have been dead for years!" Her voice choked off for a moment, raw and drenched in pain.

Itachi's eyes darkened, but he maintained his silence.

"They died! They died around me and my village fell and I couldn't do a thing about it!" She screamed at him and Itachi couldn't help but realize that she had no idea she was even crying. Her tears fell on his face, warm and salty, but he didn't wipe them away. "Why would I be, how can I be happy when everyone else is dead?! Why am I even alive when they're all _dead_?!"

Maika collapsed on his chest, sobbing openly. Her anguish tore at him, made his heart ache. Jaw tight, Itachi quietly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. He had known since he had first met her that Maika was broken in subtle ways, but he had never expected this. He had never expected her sorrow to hurt _him_.

Eventually, her sobs turned to silent tears and then to heartbreaking silence. Itachi rubbed soothingly circles on her back and didn't say a word. There were times to push and times to wait. Before, he had to push. Now, he had to wait.

"The suspension...that my parents placed me in..." Maika found herself whispering into the quiet without a conscious decision to do so. "It saved my life...but it was also the worst torture I could ever imagine."

The hand on her back stilled for but a moment, but it was enough to tell her that he was listening to her closely. It proceeded to resume the comforting contact and she clung to it desperately, somehow found the strength to go on.

"I laid there, unable to move at all. But I was still _aware _if only in a dream-like state. I still knew that my family and friends were dead. I still knew that I was lying underneath their graves and the remains of my home." She clenched her eyes shut and turned to bury her face in his chest as the bitter memories threatened to swamp her. "I couldn't see anything, hear anything but darkness and silence. I was completely alone...there was no one else."

Itachi's arms tightened around her and she knew that he was starting to see, to understand just what those years had done to her.

"Itachi-kun." Maika let out a short bitter laugh. "For me...years, years passed without human interaction and sensory contact. I almost went insane down there."

**III.**

"Barrier seals?" Makai questioned softly a week later.

"Yup, -ttebane!" Kushina replied cheerfully, dipping her brush in some more ink.

"They are for the gates of Konoha." Minato grinned warmly at her, his brush drawing intricate designs on the left side of the paper.

The three of them are in their apartment, Kushina and Minato kneeling on the ground in front of a truly massive piece of paper, buckets of ink around them. Maika stood next to them, watching them draw the seal with fascination.

"I thought the gates already have barrier seals." Maika observed the graceful movements of the soon to be Yondaime and thought of a time long past when she sat with her mother, practicing kanji in preparation for fuinjutsu.

Uzushiogakure had been the specialist at the art, after all.

"They do." Minato confirmed, frowning as he inspected a particular section of the half-finished seal. "But we do need to renew them every so often."

"And upgrade them, -ttebane!" Ksuhina declared, smiling in satisfaction at her now-finished section. Glancing at Minato, she eyed him considerately.

Minato noticed with an uneasy look on his face. "Now, now, Kushina-chan..." He was too late, as usual.

She smirked mischievously and lunged across the space between them to draw a jagged line of black ink on his face.

The blonde gaped at her and she burst out laughing at his look of horror.

Minato narrowed his eyes as tears started to gather in his wife's eyes. A twinkle of playfulness lit up his cerulean blue eyes and he lifted his own brush.

"Ack! Minato-kun!" Kushina gasped when he flicked black ink on her dress. She narrowed her own eyes at him. "This is war!"

Maika could only giggle as she watched her adoptive sister and brother-in-law run around the room, flinging ink at themselves and everything - everything but the seal, she noted. To the sounds of her sister's cursing mixed in with laughter and her brother's taunts and teasing, she turned her attention back to the half-finished seal.

Her eyes ran along the curves and swirls. Flashes of memories whispered in her mind, reminding the young girl of the last time she had seen such an intricate seal.

_"It'll be okay, my darling girl." Her mother kissed her on her forehead and pushed her towards the circle. "Go, go!"_

_Seals - intricate, detailed, complicated seals - flared around her and she fell into the darkness, but not before she felt her mother' and father's chakra finally flicker out._

She was an Uzumaki. One of the last in the world. Seals were what had saved her...and seals were what had doomed her to years spent in paralysis, aware of the outside world, but unable to move. She had been alone for so long, trapped in the darkness without sound or color or sensation. She hadn't lied to Itachi. For so long, she had honestly believed that she was insane...that the world she was trapped in was actually hell.

But...seals were her _birthright_. If she didn't learn them, didn't carry on the Uzumaki legacy, what would happen to her clan? Would they just be forgotten, lost to the sands of time?

No. Not her loving mother, her strong father, her sweet but naive friends. She couldn't do that to them. Couldn't dishonor them like that. They had given her life...and she couldn't waste it like she had been doing.

"Nee-san, Nii-san." Maika said, cutting through the laughter and light in the room.

Kushina froze in the act of trying to draw a smiley face on Minato's forehead and Minato paused in trying to write his name on Kushina's dress. They sprung apart, smiling nervously like kids whose hands had been caught in the cookie jar.

"Yeah, Maika-chan?" Kushina smiled at her, vivid and alive.

Maika smiled back. Maybe it was time for her to start living as well. "I want to learn. Teach me fuinjutsu."

Kushina and Minato traded looks. They looked back at her with wide grins and sparkling eyes.

"I thought you'd never ask." Kushina said.

**IV.**

A few weeks later, Maika whirled around in a bright clearing, her pretty yellow dress fluttering around her and her long red hair whipping around in her face. She breathed in the early spring air and slowly chewed the pocky in her mouth. She stopped spinning to stand in the very center of the meadow, face turned towards the sunlight.

Itachi watched her, sitting quietly on the very edge of the clearing. He absently slid another piece of pocky from the box in his hands and chewed on it, eyes never wavering from his best friend. He had been right, he thought as Maika smiled up into the sunlight. It had absolutely been worth everything to see her smile when she was utterly happy.

Maika's smile, her true smile, was warm and beautiful, practically the living embodiment of the sunlight she now basked in so often. She looked radiant, standing there in the early morning light, a glowing young girl capable of becoming a legend the world had never known.

As if aware of his eyes on her, she turned around to direct that smile at him. He smiled back, because it was nearly impossible to do otherwise. His body hummed in response to her joy, his mind at peace. Yes, everything had been worth it, just for a smile like that.

And then he took out a piece of pocky and silently offered it to her.

Maika's laughter rang through the air, bright and sunny and all too addictive. Itachi found himself laughing along with her even as she skipped over to close her mouth over the offered pocky.

It wouldn't last, he knew. While her progress in a few measly days had been incredible, trauma like his best friend's was forever. She might relapse or falter on her way to recovery. That was okay.

He would never let her fall back into the darkness alone.

* * *

><p><em>Next:<em>

_The Uchiha that was Itachi's other best friend was affectionate and cheerful, the complete opposite of most Uchiha she knew._

* * *

><p><strong>Aww...<strong>

**They're so cute. *squeals***

**Ahem. Merry Christmas!**

**Question: Aren't they just adorable?**


	4. Coronation

**Me: I do not own Naruto!**

**Maika: Err...who's that?**

**Me: *laughs nervously* No one, no one! Check out my blog everyone! **

***Author-chan quickly runs away***

**Maika: ...what just happened?**

**Itachi: Happy New Year.**

**Guest: Right! But...isn't Obito already...sorta dead/ missing by this point? Thanks for the review, hun!**

* * *

><p><em>Life goes on. - Andy Nguyen<em>

**I.**

"Like this?" Maika asked, leaning back after finishing her first seal.

Things had been going well. Both Kushina and Minato had started training her in fuinjutsu. Mostly beginner stuff, limiters and restraints. Kushina had started to train her in taijutsu and her sensing abilities. Minato had been busy - his coronation was coming up - but he had been feeding her small tidbits on tactics and stealth.

Kushina looked over the seal while Maika tried not to fidget. She knew her sister wouldn't belittle her or be disappointed if she had gotten some part wrong, but she still wanted to succeed. It had been a whole year since she had woken up from her forced suspension and she had grown deeply attached to her older sister and brother-in-law.

"It's perfect, -ttebane!" Kushina declared with a wide smile. Without warning, she turned and engulfed the younger girl in a bear hug. "Ahh! I'm so proud of you, -ttebane!"

Maika stiffened slightly at the unexpected affection, but eventually relaxed and returned the hug. "Thanks, Nee-chan."

Kushina pulled back and tugged her onto her feet. "Now, come on!"

She blinked. "Where are we going?"

The Red Hot Habanero looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "To celebrate, -ttebane!"

Maika's smile was bemused, but she went along with Kushina. "Where to?"

"Ichiraku Ramen, of course."

She breathed out a sigh as Kushina continued to drag her down the streets. She liked ramen well enough, but the extent Kushina adored it was ridiculous. Then, there was Minato. Sometimes, she thought the couple had fallen in love purely over their shared love of ramen.

**II.**

"Maika-chan, -ttebane!" Kushina slammed the door to the apartment open, face glowing and Minato right behind her.

Maika looked up from reading the scroll to beginner fuinjutsu. "Yes, Nee-san?" She observed her sister and brother-in-law with interest. They seemed to be ecstatic over something if the wide smiles on their faces were any indication.

"I'm pregnant, -ttebane!" She announced loudly, beaming at her.

Maika blinked. Tried to wrap her head around that. "...pregnant?"

"Yup, -ttebane!" Kushina swept into the room and wrapped Maika in a hug. "Isn't it exciting? You're going to have a nephew soon!"

"It could also be a niece, too." Minato pointed out, wrapping his arms around his wife and his sister.

"Nope! It's a boy, I know it, -ttebane!" Kushina maintaned, tightening her grip on poor Maika.

"Whatever you say, Kushina-chan." Minato smiled indulgently and shook his head at his stubborn wife who stuck her tongue out at him.

Meanwhile, Maika had finally processed the bombshell her sister had dropped on her. "Nee-san! Congratulations!" She smiled happily at her sister, finally hugging her back.

Kushina grinned and hugged her back. "We'll make sure he's loved and protected. All of us."

"Yes." Maika vowed. "Yes, we will."

'Yes, I will.' She repeated silently in her mind.

Later, Itachi told her that his mother was pregnant as well. He was almost as excited as she was.

Neither of them knew how this would end. And perhaps it was better that way, for if they knew, they might have decided to kill themselves right then and there.

**III.**

A week after she had found out about Kushina's pregnancy, Maika met Hatake Kakashi.

Well...met wasn't quite the right word.

"So, it's tiger, boar, ox, dog, and snake?" Maika formed her fingers into each hand seal as she listed them.

"That's right!" Minato grinned at her and ruffled her hair affectionately. "You're making good progress, Maika-chan! You'll be able to do the Body Replacement Jutsu in no time!"

She smiled back. It was hard not to like Minato; he was so cheerful and warm. "You're too kind, Nii-san."

His grin widened, as it always did when she called him 'brother'. Minato opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the door burst open.

A teenager with shocking white hair and dressed in ninja clothing rushed in. "Minato-sensei!"

The Yellow Flash glanced up, looking innocent as could be. "Yes, Kakashi?"

Kakashi glared at his sensei. "How could you not tell me Kushina-san's pregnant?"

Minato blinked slowly. "Oh. Sorry. It must have slipped my mind."

The teenager with the dark mask over his face fumed.

"I know you." Maika said suddenly. As they had been talking, she had been analyzing the stranger's chakra, as Kushina had been teaching her, and she had found, to her surprise, that it was familiar. Yet, she was sure she had never seen her brother-in-law's student, as she had concluded he had to be.

Kakashi stiffened and spun around to face her, his one visible eye widening. Evidently, he had been so focused on getting to his sensei that he had completely failed to notice the dark red-haired girl sitting quietly on a stool near the table.

She looked at him, her rouge eyes unknowingly startling. "You watched over me once. When I had only just woke up." It was the only explanation she could think of. When she had first woken up from the suspension, she had been aware of the teams of Anbu that followed her around; she had simply been too much in shock to care. But Maika didn't forget chakra signatures.

"I - u-umm..." Kakashi stuttered, looking to Minato for help. Her brother merely looked amused.

She frowned slightly. What had she said? Going over her statements, she realized the problem. The shinobi that had followed her around had been Anbu. And Anbu were not supposed to be identifiable, much less recognizable.

So, Maika smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Hatake Kakashi. I'm Uzumaki Maika."

And that was how her first meeting with her sensei's one surviving student went.

She saw him from time to time after that encounter. After all, Minato had a close bond with Kakashi and Kushina loved to boss the white-haired boy around; Maika spent a lot of time with her sister and brother-in-law.

They didn't talk much, but she found she liked the older boy. He didn't push and in some ways, he reminded her of Itachi. Burdened by death, doomed by genius, and startling kind after you got past the prickly armor.

Maika wouldn't know, but she hoped he liked her as well. He certainly treated her like a younger cousin, albeit one he didn't see often.

**IV.**

The first time Maika met the Sandaime was a few hours before Minato's orientation.

Oh, she was sure he had seen her before. Perhaps when she had been unconscious or maybe from afar.

But she had never seen him before, probably due to Kushina and to some extent, Minato. The first half year after she had woken up, had been a transition period. She had had to get used to Konoha and her people. To adjust to life outside her relatively sheltered world in Uzushiogakure. The shelter it had been before it was destroyed in a storm of fire and blood.

The second half of her year had been spent trying to recover from the emotional trauma of spending years underground, immobile and conscious for all that time. Needless to say, both of her older siblings had been rather protective of her and had most likely shielded her from things that might have upset her.

Like the Hokage that, through no fault of his own, had been in charge when her village and Konoha's number one ally burned to the ground.

"Hello, Maika-chan." The Sandaime smiled down at her, all warmth and grandfatherly kindness.

She wasn't fooled. Maybe the old shinobi sincerely cared for her as his successor's little sister, but she could feel his chakra. Even in his old age, it was vast, dense, and powerful. Extremely powerful. Sarutobi Hiruzen, God of Shinobi, wasn't weak nor feeble, no matter how much he deliberately gave off that impression.

"Sandaime-sama." Maika greeted, bowing in respect.

He chuckled and gently ruffled her hair. "You are a good girl."

She smiled at him, but it was guarded. Maika did not trust anyone who had not earned her trust. "Thank you, Sandaime-sama."

"You will be at Minato's coronation?" The Third Hokage asked.

"Yes." She replied simply.

He nodded, eyes wise. "He is a great man, my successor. I hope he has a long, peaceful time as Yondaime."

"You and me both, Sandaime-sama." Maika said softly.

**V.**

Minato's coronation had been a large, impressive affair.

The weather had cooperated with clear blue skies and warm sunlight. Upon reciting his vows to protect the village, Maika's brother-in-law had been an impressive figure standing at the railing, coat blowing in the breeze, and Hokage hat on top of his distinctive yellow spiky hair.

Maika first met Jiraiya a few hours after the coronation.

Minato had told her that his sensei had looked over the suspension seals and visited her once while she was unconscious, but as the primary spymaster of Konoha, had just been too busy to come back to see her again.

The white-haired Sannin made his presence known by jumping in through the window to Minato's new office while the Yondaime had been smiling and joking with Kushina and Maika.

"Sensei!" Minato exclaimed, rising to his feet. "You're back?!"

Jiraiya snorted. "As if I would miss my own student's coronation day!"

"I don't know, sensei. I would have thought you'd be at the hot springs right now." Minato said dryly, walking around his desk.

"Well.." Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it..."

Minato laughed and shook his head. "You never change, Jiraiya-sensei."

The older man grinned and hugged his student quickly. "Congratulations, Minato."

The Yellow Flash smiled fiercely and hugged him back just as hard. "Thanks, sensei."

Pulling back, Jiraiya turned to focus on Minato's wife and younger sister.

"Kushina-chan!" He beamed and walked closer for a hug. "It's been a long time!"

"Good to see you again, Jiraiya." Kushina beamed back and hugged the Sannin...right before landing a vicious punch right on his head.

Jirayia grunted, slamming headfirst into the ground while Kushina stood before him, fist held in front of her, and eyes glowing eerily.

"No groping, - ttebane." She decreed firmly.

"Jiraiya-sensei..." Minato sighed.

He laughed, getting to his feet. "Sorry bout that. Habit, you know." Jirayia smiled nervously.

Kushina gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look.

The Sannin chuckled apprehensively and quickly turned his attention to the silent young girl that had been watching the scene with interest. "You're Maika-chan, right? I'm Jiraiya."

Maika stared at him with wide, inquisitive eyes. "Nee-san says you're a pervert." She said bluntly.

Minato choked on air and Kushina flushed bright red.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Kushina. "Really?" He asked seriously.

Maika nodded solemnly.

The man sighed and shook his head. "Well then, I'm sorry to tell you this Maika-chan, but your Nee-san is wrong."

She tilted her head in question. "So you aren't a pervert?"

"No, I'm not." Jiraiya paused gravely and abruptly struck a dramatic pose. "I'm not just a pervert, I'M A SUPER PERVERT!"

Outraged, Kushina flew across the room and decked the self-proclaimed 'Super Pervert'. "Don't go around corrupting my sister, -ttebane!"

Minato groaned and covered his face with his hand. Why did his sensei always do stuff like this?

Lying on the floor, a large bump on his head, Jiraiya weakly raised a hand and gave Kushina a thumbs up. "G-good one, Kushina-chan."

To nobody's surprise, this only made the kunoichi angrier and she started beating up the Sannin.

To everyone's surprise, serious, mature Maika burst out laughing.

Minato lifted his head up, Kushina stopped beating Jiraiya into the floor, and Jiraiya weakly glanced up. All three stared at the bent over little girl.

"Maika-chan?" Kushina asked cautiously.

She fought off her laughter long enough to gasp out, "You guys are just too funny."

Startled, Kushina glanced at Minato who shrugged back at her. Grinning a bit, the Red Hot Habanero decided that it didn't matter what her sister thought was so funny. It was a joy to see Maika happy, that was all.

"U-uh, Kushina-chan?" Jiraiya muttered from beneath her foot. "Could you get off me now?"

"Never!" She declared and for good measure, stomped him on his back firmly.

**VI.**

Maika found that she liked Jiraiya after he got over his perverted antics. He was amusing and kind beneath his eccentric demeanor, and a very good teacher.

With the brief time he had in Konoha, he quickly sped up her knowledge in seals.

It was under Jiraiya's tutelage that she made her first explosive seal.

She was sad to see him leave.

**VII.**

"What's wrong?" Maika demanded as soon as she saw her best friend at their meadow. His chakra was shifting under his skin, swirling around in agitation, and she could sense it with ease.

He plucked at some grass, avoiding her eyes. "Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes and walked over to settle on her knees gracefully. Reaching out, she gently grabbed Itachi's jaw and turned his head until she could see his eyes. Maika frowned. Although he still avoided her gaze, his usually calm black eyes were turbulent with emotions today.

Oh yes. Something was wrong.

Pursing her lips, she briefly thought about trying to get the stubborn boy to admit it through force, but quickly gave up on that thought. Itachi tended to become a brick wall when pushed on matters he didn't want to talk about. Jabbing and nagging wasn't going to get her the answers she wanted.

So, Maika sighed and fell back onto the soft grass, bringing Itachi with her. She ended up sprawled over him, head on his chest and hand on his shoulder. He accommodated her without complaint, slinging an arm over her waist. The sun shone over the treetops, bathing them in warmth and light.

"Nee-san's started to teach me the Uzumaki style of taijutsu." She told him, voice idle as if she had completely forgotten her earlier irritation. The sun was making her really comfortable and sleepy. Didn't mean she was letting him off the hook, though.

He grunted, eyelids fluttering closed.

"It's a rather unique style, because we primarily used seals. The main purpose of it is to create openings so the user can tag their opponent with a seal. Flexible...capitalizes more on speed than strength." Maika absently traced patterns on his shoulder, yawning. "You have to actually think through most of the steps, because it changes with each opponent. Nee-san said that it'd come to me naturally, after some fights under my belt."

Itachi opened his eyes to look at her, a frown already tugging on his lips. "You aren't planning on going around picking fights, are you?"

She smiled sleepily. She didn't quite know when Itachi had become so protective of her, but she didn't mind. "No. Nee-san, Nii-san, and you are more than enough."

He chuckled under his breath and she sighed, tucking her head in under his jaw. They laid there in silence for a few moments, basking in the heat and peace.

"Itachi-kun." Maika ordered in their safe haven, feeling comforted and petted.

He sighed, but gave in at long last. Her assault on his defenses had been subtle and unpredictable, affection instead of pressure, kindness instead of anger. The casual discussion and pleasant warmth had weakened his walls and Itachi had known full well that they stood no chance against the stubbornness of the Uzumaki princess.

"The clan." He said and, all on its own, that was an answer. But she would never simply accept that. "They are insisting I spend some time with the brides they wish me to choose from."

She hummed in response, the faintest tug pulling at her heart. She ignored it, hugging Itachi close. "It'll be okay." Maika whispered.

Against common sense and logic, he believed her.

**VIII.**

"How's the Academy?" Maika asked Itachi one day, after a rather harsh training session, lying on the grass next to him.

They had been going with taijutsu and he had won after a grueling five minute fight. Itachi was much more gifted than her in that aspect, but she had the advantage of using Uzumaki style taijutsu, even if it was beginner level. Itachi was using a mixture of Uchiha style and Academy style, so he was unfamiliar with her way of attacking. It didn't stop him from winning, but it was a close thing.

He hummed, pushing himself up a bit to look at her. "Boring. The other kids are really slow."

"Really? Nee-san's enrolling me soon." Maika yawned, stretching languidly.

Itachi hnned and gently ran his fingers through her hair, taking in her scent; sweet jasmine and golden peach. It was a quiet, peaceful time.

Until someone interrupted them.

"Ita-kun! You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!" A male voice cut across the clearing and Maika reflexively sat up, body tensing. She hadn't been paying attention, hadn't felt the relatively weak chakra signature in the trees.

Itachi frowned, but patted her neck twice. A reassurance. He knew this person. It was safe.

She frowned too, but relaxed. She trusted his judgment.

A boy around the age of seven dropped down from some branches, grinning cheerfully. He had dark, unkempt hair and black Uchiha eyes.

He walked up to them, eyes dancing. "Well? Introduce us, Ita-kun!"

Maika found it interesting that while Itachi's brow furrowed at the nickname, he didn't try and correct the older boy. They were familiar with each other, it seemed.

"Maika-hime, this is Uchiha Shisui, a distant cousin of mine. He's a year older than me. Shisui, this is Uzumaki Maika. She's a year younger than me." Itachi said monotonously.

Shisui chuckled under his breath. "Hime, huh?"

"She's a Princess of Whirlpool." Itachi responded, just a tad defensive. He glared at Shisui.

Shisui outright laughed and raised his hands in the universal sign for 'chill, dude'. He sat down across from them, smiling warmly at Maika. "Good to meet you, Maika-chan. It seems Ita-kun's been hiding you from me." He shot a chiding look at said boy who raised a dismissive eyebrow.

"Hello." She said simply, eyeing him warily.

Maika trusted Itachi's judgment, but only to a certain extent. She judged people herself.

Shisui ended up spending the entire afternoon with Itachi and Maika, claiming he had nothing else to do.

The Uchiha that was Itachi's other best friend was affectionate and cheerful, the complete opposite of most Uchiha she knew. Maika didn't know what to make of him, but he slipped under her defenses soon enough.

After that meeting, she saw both Itachi and Shisui often. They became her two best friends, complete opposites as they were.

Itachi was quiet, thoughtful, and serious. The genius.

Shisui was loud, cheerful, and optimistic. The anomaly.

Maika was broken, radiant, and strong. The contradiction.

It was just as well she connected so well with the two.

Because Kushina was almost ready to give birth.

* * *

><p><em>Next time:<em>

_Maika smiled and kissed her sister and brother-in-law on the cheek. She believed them; they had never lied to her before._

_It was the last time she would ever see them again._

* * *

><p><strong>Review! Please review! And also, check out my blog. It's on my profile. :3<strong>

**Happy New Years, all!**

**Oh dear, it seems the Kyuubi attack is coming...**


End file.
